Easy Baked Pork Chop

Most baked pork chop recipes have a reputation for being dry, tough, and flavorless, but this two-part cooking method of searing on the stovetop and finishing in the oven ensures a brown crust and a juicy center; plus, you only use one pan. Deglazing the pan with white wine makes a flavorful base out of the porky bits (a.k.a. fond) left after the chops are done, for an easy pan sauce. Once the sauce is reduced, tangy Dijon mustard, butter, and fresh parsley are whisked in. Serve these juicy chops with Herbed Spätzle for a comforting, German-inspired meal.

What to buy: Ask your butcher for pork chops of the same relative size and thickness so that they cook evenly and in the same amount of time.

Click below to watch the CHOW Test Kitchen’s Lisa Lavery make this simple pork chop dish in an episode of our Easiest Way video series.

Ingredients

2 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops

1 teaspoonolive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 1/2 teaspoonsDijon mustard

Instructions

1Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

2Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and rub them all over with the oil. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

3Heat a large oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat until several drops of water sprinkled in the pan skitter around and converge into one big drop or the pan is smoking, about 3 to 4 minutes. Place the chops in the pan and cook undisturbed until they’re golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes.

4Flip the chops over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Bake until the chops are golden brown on the second side and the temperature registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each chop, about 7 to 10 minutes.

5Using a kitchen towel or potholder, take the pan out of the oven and return it to the stovetop. Transfer the chops to a plate and tent them loosely with foil; set aside.

6Using the kitchen towel or potholder to grasp the handle of the pan (be careful not to touch the handle with your bare hands for the remainder of the cooking time), pour off and discard any fat. Add the wine, place the pan over medium-high heat, and cook, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan, until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

7Whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time, letting each melt before adding the next, until all of the butter has been added and the sauce has thickened. Whisk in the parsley and mustard. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Divide the sauce between 2 plates, place a pork chop on top of the sauce on each plate, and serve immediately.